What an incredibly busy first couple of weeks back it has been for the Senior School; so much has happened that it’s difficult to know where to begin, but if like me you’re glued to the Twitter feed, you’ll know that over the summer we have had some incredible achievements, and this seems like an excellent starting point for this year.

Mr Carnevale used one of the first assemblies of the academic year to celebrate some of these achievements by talking to the Senior School about ‘teamwork and success’. All of us were probably in some way both greatly inspired and impressed by the success of GB Olympic squad, and this assembly brought home that the starting point for many of our incredible sports men and women was the encouragement and training they received at school, and by joining clubs where their talents could be specifically and professionally further nurtured. Mr Carnevale ended the assembly by reading out some of the names of those who had excelled in their chosen sport, and as they made their way to the front of the Hall, the school recognised their individual achievement with a huge round of applause. Despite there being so many clever and athletic people in the Sports Hall, I did manage to get them all to stay still for a micro-second of time before they disappeared in different directions for lunch! Look at those smiles!

We congratulate each and every one of them, and send our very best wishes to those continuing their selection processes and training. We also look forward to hearing of their successes either from the students themselves, or from you as parents writing in to let us know!

The start of the academic year is a particulary busy time as students settle into new forms, subject classes, and get used to being an academic year older than they were last July! We are now into our third week back at school, and it is lovely to see the pupils so happy and settled; especially Year 7 and those pupils in other years who are new to the Senior School. It is often said that Rougemont is a very friendly place to be, and this is in no small part due to the emotional intelligence of many of our pupils who just seem to know when a helping hand is needed.

The Year 7 Information evening was an excellent opportunity for parents to mingle, and Mr Singer to set out some of the expectations for the year ahead, as well as try to allay any anxieties. The evening was lively and it was fantastic to see everybody interacting and talking to each other as well as the Year 7 tutor team. This year’s team, Madame Munroe, Madame Morgan, Mrs Clayson-Thomas and Mr Griffiths have all been very pleased at how well Year 7 have settled into their new school routine, and would like to emphasise that they are there to help you as well as your children to navigate the transition between junior school and senior school as smoothly as possible.

The intrepid spirit of the group was very evident at last week’s team building morning, which saw teams of five face several team challenges. The first challenge was to ‘protect the egg’, where, using limited materials, teams had to build a structure that would protect an egg when dropped from a height of three metres.

As the designs were tested, most cracked under the strain, but one team (Team 5) was triumphant. Truly egg-cellent, or as Mr Singer described it, ‘A cracking start to Year 7’!

Next came the ‘trash-can fashion show’. Teams were given a range of materials (household cleaning cloths, sponges etc.) and asked to create a truly amazing outfit. With one member of the team modelling and another commentating, Year 7 strutted their stuff down the catwalk, showing off their designs.

All had great fun and worked with enthusiasm and creativity. From witnessing these vibrant and egg-citing competitions (I’ll stop now), it is clear that some have bright futures ahead of them as designers and engineers – watch this space!

So, we know that Year 7 have been busy – but what of Year 10, who also had their information evening last week? With understandably a very different emphasis from that of the Year 7 evening, Mr Rees (Head of KS4) and Mrs Rogers (Assistant Head Academic) took us through the expectations of the next two years as well as of course the academic demands of GCSE courses and the all-important support networks available. Year 10 pupils suddenly look very tall and grown up; I’m sure you’ll agree that over the summer they do seem to have added maturity and determination to succeed – of course the spectacular GCSE summer results have given them something very special to which to aspire. We know that they can do it!

The co-curricular programme kicked off last week and has been very well attended. This year we are delighted to announce a larger than ever range of clubs and activities which will hopefully provide something for everyone; please encourage your children to participate and perhaps to try something new. Here are our intrepid gardeners getting ready for Autumn at the Greenhouse...

Mr Rees, our Co-curricular Coordinator, has published the schedule for this term on the website; this changes termly and as demand varies from year to year (and even within years)we welcome suggestions for changes or additions. Talented teachers run most of the clubs 'in house', but we are always interested to receive information on outside organisations with specific skills to share. Just as a few examples, Percussion group, led by the über cool Nick Baron is an excellent way to 'get with the beat', we now have a Relaxation Club, led by Mrs DeCruz, and for those of a more combative nature, last week saw a demonstration of ‘Fencing’ which we hope will not be ‘foiled’ (sorry) and will be included on our programme in the near future. En guarde! Over the next few weeks I will be trying to get to as many clubs as possible to give a flavour of what fun can be had!

Speaking of fun, Rougemont took centre stage once again last week as we hosted the Inter Schools Cross Country Relay competition for Years 7 and 8. Teams of three pupils ran laps of the school cross country course, nimbly transferring a baton between them in between each lap.

The event was a real team effort both on and off the course, and it could not have taken place without some excellent Year 9 and 10 ‘leaders’ as well as dedicated Year 11 marshals (who even braved a nasty shower of rain). It is no mean feat to cope with teams of excitable visiting pupils, and special thanks must go to Mrs Singer for her organisation both beforehand and on the day, as well as the PE department as a whole.

Rougemont pupils conducted themselves brilliantly and made it round the course in fine style. Well done to all involved – a lovely afternoon that showed the school grounds at their best – and an excellent way to limber up for House Cross Country in just a few weeks’ time!

Mr Bell tells me that the U13 rugby team got the year off to an amazing start with a 45-0 win in their first game. The Y7 part of this team were brilliant last year and we wish them all the best as they welcome new players and gel as a team again this year; they certainly enjoyed their first game!

This has been rather a long Blog - this is clearly what happens when a fortnight goes by, but actually my next Blog will also be in two weeks’ time, so please prepare yourselves for another long read at the start of October! In the meantime, please check the Twitter feed and other areas of the website for regular news updates!

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